Recipes we hope will save you time and trouble this Thanksgiving!
Apple Cranberry Crumble
Around Woodstock magazine community board member Renee Gable raves about the pies at the Pie Bar, and asked owner Lauren Bolden to contribute a recipe on her behalf.
Apple Filling:
• 6 cups apples (try a combo of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady Apples)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cranberry sauce
Crumble Topping:
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cup quick cooking oats
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Make or use one pre-made all-butter pie crust. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, core, and slice apples ¼-inch thick. Combine the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Add ½ cup cranberry sauce to apple filling. Stir to combine and set aside.
Prepare the crumble topping by blending the flour, quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Slowly pour melted butter on top of the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
Pile the apple and cranberry filling into the bottom pie crust. Using your hands, spread crumble topping evenly over the filling. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Rotate the pie 180 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The pie is ready when the crust is golden brown and the apple juices are bubbling slightly. Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter. This pie will last in the refrigerator for three to five days.
Ice Cream Pie and Sauce
Contributing writer Ann Litrel, shares her ice cream pie recipe which is a long-time family favorite from her mother Elizabeth Wallace.
Pie:
• 9-inch graham cracker crust
• Half gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
• ½ cup of Heath bars, chopped
Sauce:
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup Heath bars, chopped
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• Dash of salt
Directions:
Spoon half of ice cream into the crust. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of Heath bits on top. Heap on the rest of the ice cream and freeze.
To make the sauce, combine sugar, milk, butter, corn syrup, salt. Bring to a boil over low heat. Boil one minute. Stir in Heath bits. Chill. Spoon over pie wedges.
Sweet Potato Pie
While most families would probably enjoy this pie as part of the dessert round at Thanksgiving, my family likes to incorporate it into the main course as a side dish. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about? Eating what you want, when you want it. It is at our house, and that makes us thankful!
– Jackie Loudin, TowneLaker Managing Editor
Ingredients:
• 3 eggs
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) sweet potatoes (yams), drained
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 ½-2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Frozen, deep-dish pie shell
Directions:
In a food processor, blender or with a hand-mixer combine the eggs, sweet potatoes, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt; blend until smooth. Pour into pie shell.
Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350; bake 28-35 minutes longer or until set in the center. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped topping and toasted pecans if desired.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Dan Thrailkill submits this vegan, gluten-free option.
Crust:
• 6 tablespoons cold vegan butter
(or chilled coconut oil with varied results)
• 1 ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
Filling:
• 2 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (1 1/2 15-ounce cans)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 2 ½ tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1 ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
(or sub mix of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
To prepare crust, add gluten-free flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slice or dollop the cold butter in and work gently with a fork or pastry cutter to cut it in. Don’t overwork, just get it incorporated.
Next add ice cold water a little at a time and use a wooden spoon to stir. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together.
Once a loose dough is formed, transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and work gently with your hands to form a 1/2 inch thick disc. Wrap firmly and refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes, up to two days. Let it warm back up a little before using. You don’t want it too warm or it can get too soft to handle.
Once your dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pie filling.
Add all pie ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two sizable layers of wax paper (plastic wrap will work OK, but is a little more difficult to work with). Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. If it cracks, don’t stress – you can reform it with your hands once you get it in the pan. But try and be gentle.
To transfer the crust, remove the top layer of wax paper and gently lay the pie dish face down on top of the crust and use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully invert it. Don’t overthink it – just do it.
Once you get the crust inverted, gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. It can be a little tricky but it bakes beautifully, so it’s worth the effort! Just try not to overwork the dough in the process – it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to perfect the shape. Any holes or cracks can be mended with a little excess dough and the heat of your hand.
Pour filling into pie crust and bake for 58-65 minutes. The crust should be light golden brown and the filling will still be just a bit jiggly and have some cracks on the top. Remove from oven and let cool completely before loosely covering and transferring to the refrigerator to fully set for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
Slice and serve with coconut whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or pumpkin pie spice.
Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pie
I have a saying: “If it’s not chocolate, it’s not for breakfast.” Although I always make this pie on Thanksgiving, a cold slice straight from the fridge is what I want for breakfast on the days following. — Chantel Adams
Ingredients:
• 1 stick butter (4 ounces), melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Dash nutmeg
• Dash salt
• 12 ounce bag of mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter. Whisk in buttermilk with eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients, along with chocolate chips. Gently mix dry ingredients into wet ones. Pour evenly into two pie crusts (if using frozen crusts, thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before using) and bake at 325 for one hour.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
If you’re not a pie fan, this cheesecake from Papa’s Pantry founder Lynne Saunders might satisfy your sweet tooth.
Crust:
• 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
Filling:
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 3 eggs + 1 yolk
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 packages cream cheese, room temperature
Directions:
Use a 10-inch springform pan, making sure the bottom is locked into round form tightly before starting. Spray with non-stick spray, interior bottom and sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an oblong baking pan filled with boiling water on the bottom of the oven. This will add moisture to the cheesecake as it bakes.
Place graham crackers in a ziploc bag and crush until you have desired amount. Avoid using large chunks. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and spices. When blended, add melted butter and mix well. Transfer mixture into springform pan. Distribute evenly and press down to pack the crust tightly.
For the filling, cream eggs and sugar together. Add cream cheese, one block at a time. Add the pumpkin, sour cream, flour, cinnamon and vanilla, and mix until there are no more lumps. Pour into springform pan. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and open the door slightly. Allow to cool somewhat in the oven to prevent risk of cracking. No worries if it does… simply add your favorite toppings!
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